As I enter the mall here in early November, the sights and sounds of Christmas already prevail. Everywhere there are signs to promote items that make great gift items. There is a wide array of gadgets and gizmos to supposedly help make life easier. It is easy to fill my home and that of my loved ones with all kinds of “stuff”. But what of it is really necessary? I am a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and in her book Little House on the Prairie she talks about their first Christmas on the frontier and how excited she and her sister were to get their own tin cup and a…

I recently watched a television program that had some graphic scenes of battle and injury. It’s interesting that of all that I watched that day, the scene that sticks in my mind is the gory one. My mind doesn’t replay the family scenes or victory segments, but the one where there is extreme pain and sorrow. Something about our human nature tends to gravitate to the less than healthy. Our newscasts focus on the bad things happening in the world. We don’t hesitate to share gossip about our neighbours…things like that. But these things wear on us. What happens when we continue to let the bad dominate our minds? It is…

Many years ago, when I was in high school, I had a rough bout of illness and missed many school days in a row. In those years my dear friend stopped by every morning and we walked to school together. In those days of illness, she still faithfully stopped by each morning and checked if I was better and able to make the school journey. After missing a few days of school, she dropped me a get well note that included a quote from Philippians 4 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (verse 6 NIV)…